Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in an interview published on Monday ahead of his visit to Moscow, dismissed Israeli reports that there was any deal to purchase advanced missile systems from Russia.

“Russia’s defense minister has said that such a deal does not exist and thus he has answered the question,” Assad told Izvestia newspaper.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov earlier this month denied reports that his country was in contacts with the Syrian leadership to sell it Iskander-E ground-to-ground and SA-18 shoulder-fired missiles.